Page 131 of Tiger's Voyage
Plastering a smile on my face, I turned toward him. After pecking him on the lips, I said, “No. Nothing’s wrong at all. Just a silly idea I had. No big deal.”
I heard a noise above us and saw Ren leaning against a post. He was smirking at me knowingly. I glared at him and kissed Kishan hard. Kishan wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed me back, soundly. When I looked back again, Ren was frowning.
Later that evening, I was lying in a deck chair looking up at the stars while Kishan was working out. I felt a warm tug, a familiar pull on my heart and knewhewas near.
A deep hypnotic voice asked, “May I sit?”
“No.”
“I’d like to talk with you.”
“Talk all you like because I’m leaving. I think I’ve had too much sun.”
“The sun’s not out. Sit down and stay put.”
Ren dragged a lounge chair over next to mine and lay down with his hands behind his head.
“How long are you going to let this go on, Kelsey?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t you? I saw you testing Kishan earlier today. You don’t feel for him what you feel for me. You don’t feelwithhim the way you feel with me.”
“You’re wrong. Being with Kishan is … it’s like heaven.”
“‘Thelove of heavenmakes one heavenly.’”
“Exactly, our love is heavenly.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“It means whatIinterpret it to mean.”
“Fine. Then you should have no problem interpreting this one. ‘The lady doth protest too much, methinks,’ or how about ‘O, how this spring of love resembleth the uncertain glory of an April day; which now shows all the beauty of the sun, and by and by a cloud takes all away.’”
“A cloud didn’t take our love away, you did. I warned you what the consequences would be, and you said, and I quote, ‘I won’t need another chance. I won’t be seeking you out again.’ Are thosenotyourexactwords, Ren?”
He flinched. “Theywere. But—”
“No. There is no ‘but.’ There’s no coming back from this one, Ren.”
“But, Kelsey, I did it for you. Not because I wanted to, but because I wanted to save you.”
“I understand that, but what’s done is done. I’m not going to hurt Kishan because you changed your mind. You’re going to have to live with the consequences of your choices just as I do.”
He got up and knelt beside my chair. Picking up my hand, he twined his fingers with mine. “You’re forgetting something,iadala. Love is not a consequence. Love is not a choice. Love is athirst—a need as vital to the soul as water is to the body. Love is a precious draft that not only soothes a parched throat but also vitalizes a man. It fortifies him enough that he is willing to slay dragons for the woman who offers it. Take that draft of love from me, and I will shrivel to dust. To take it from a man dying of thirst and give it to another while he watches is a cruelty I never thought you capable of.”
I snorted and he sighed.
“‘Thou art to me a delicious torment,’ Kelsey.”
“Who said that?”
“The first part? Me. That last line, Emerson.”
“I see. Go on. You were speaking of your parts being vitalized?”
He narrowed his eyes. “You’re mocking me.”
